Bad News
by Janiqua
Summary: Tag from "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark." Abigail has to find out sooner or later.


**A/N: **This is a tag for "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark." Loved the episode, but I really wanted more. Sadly, college life isn't particularly conducive for fanfiction, and this isn't nearly as long as I wanted it to be. Sorry about that. For the record, I'm more of a Juliet fan than Abigail fan, but more people have done this for Jules, and I haven't read a single one for Abigail, so I'm trying to be fair. Let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Psych or any of the characters. This is just for fun. Thanks!

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Bad News

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"Dad, I don't want to talk about this!"

"He left you devastated! You think I don't remember? He doesn't deserve you, Abigail. He's a no-good slacker who's always been nothing but trouble. He was arrested by his own father, for God's sake. What the hell are you thinking, risking your heart with him?"

"I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions," Abigail snapped back, running a hand through her hair. A part of her would have liked nothing better than to hang up the phone, but that would have only inflamed an already heated situation. Besides, her father wasn't entirely out of line, as much as it pained her to admit it. "Listen, Shawn's a good guy. I trust him. Things are going very well between us, and I don't anticipate any problems. He's even treating me like a person again."

"What the hell do you mean by that? Has he been debasing you? Don't lie to me, Abigail. If he hasn't been respecting you, I'll march right over to wherever the hell he's living and…"

"No, he hasn't been debasing me," Abigail cut in, wincing in discomfort. She should have phrased that better. "It's more like he's been elevating me."

_"Treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a Greek goddess, and then a person again." _Abigail could hardly suppress a smile, despite the man on the other end of the line, when she recalled a certain warm afternoon, way back in high school, when she had explained to Shawn what girls actually wanted from men. "Talk to mom. She can explain it to you better than I can."

"Abigail!"

A loud knock interrupted her thoughts, and she whipped her head around, grateful for the distraction. "I'm sorry, dad, someone's at the door. I'll be right back." Resting the phone on the counter, Abigail jogged to the front hall and quickly turned the lock. Swinging the door open, she found herself staring up at the gruff, weathered face of Henry Spencer.

"Can I come in?" he asked somberly, and Abigail felt her whole body constrict. Considering how tense she already was, the heightened intensity frightened her beyond description. Her expression must have given her away, for Henry offered a small, barely perceptible smile. "I promise it's not that bad."

"But it's still bad," Abigail said, stepping out of the way while urging him inside. She closed the door behind him and raced back to the phone. "Dad, something's come up. I'll call you back tomorrow." Without waiting for a response, she hung up and glanced at Henry, who had trailed after her. "How bad?"

"Shawn's in the hospital," he said, no doubt too experienced in this kind of thing to try softening the blow, which would have only left her in suspense. "He's been shot, but the doctors say it's just a flesh wound, and he'll recover." Henry paused, waiting to see her reaction, but it took her a moment to process his words, and she just stared at him blankly.

Then she began trembling.

"I would have called you earlier," Henry continued. "But the situation was critical. Shawn was working a case last night, got too close to a criminal, and was taken hostage. Now, when you're kidnapped, the first few hours determine whether you'll live or die. We had to find him as soon as possible, and since you weren't directly involved in the investigation, we couldn't afford to spend the time explaining it to you. Hell, I haven't even told his mother yet." He groaned, as if the prospect of facing his ex-wife frightened him more than anything.

"I've been on the phone for the past thirty minutes," Abigail whispered, too shocked to know what else to say. She had been on the phone… arguing about Shawn… while he was in the hospital…

"I know," Henry told her gently. "Your line's been busy." So he came in person.

Abigail covered her mouth, fighting back the wave of emotion that threatened to explode. She certainly didn't need to start crying in front of Henry Spencer. "The man who shot him?"

"Dead," came the cold reply. "From what I can tell, he was the lesser threat. His partner… well, he's been arrested. We should leave it at that."

Abigail nodded, curious despite herself, but also nauseated. "I… I knew Shawn's job was dangerous, especially after the case with Mr. Yang, but he's still just a consultant. It shouldn't be anymore dangerous for him than for any other officer. Besides, you've been training him all his life! How could this happen?"

"It happened because Shawn got careless and went snooping around without proper backup," Henry barked, exasperated and unexpectedly aggressive. Abigail flinched, a reaction that instantly subdued her guest. "I'm sorry. It's just… Shawn should have known better. You're absolutely right. But I promise you, Abigail, it wasn't luck that saved him. His training kicked in, and on top of his survival instincts, he handled himself like a pro. He never stopped fighting. If he had, hell, we never would have found him. The important thing is he's safe, and he'll never be that careless again."

Without asking, Abigail walked up to Henry and embraced him. She couldn't explain why, but the contact reassured her, and she hoped it might reassure him. Knowing what she did about the Spencer family, she wondered when he had last received a friendly hug. Perhaps this afternoon, after rescuing Shawn…

"He wants to see you," Henry said after a pause, gradually recovering from his surprise and slowly returning her embrace. "He seemed embarrassed, and waited until the detectives stopped pestering him, but he did ask for you. Said something about you saving his life."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Don't be too sure," Henry advised, drawing back. "The kid's a romantic at heart, and I don't think he's ever had a relationship last this long before. You're good for him."

_"He doesn't deserve you…"_

Abigail winced at the echo of her father's voice.

_Shawn…_

Her heart ached at the thought of losing him. True, she had done perfectly well for herself before they found each other at their high school reunion, but at the same time… Shawn brought such color into her life… It wasn't enough for her to be doing "perfectly well." Guys like him didn't come around every day, and she'd be a fool to give him up. She… she cared about him… more than she dared to say out loud. "Can you drive?"

Henry nodded. "Of course."

**ooooooo**

**A/N: **I know it's not much, but I'm so busy at school, this is the most I have time to write. I hope it's somewhat decent. Please review! I'd love to know what you all think. Cheers!


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